With Moonlight Between Us
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: "Neo... you should... come with me. With us. To Beacon."
1. Silver Tears

**A commission for MuldoonX9, who asked for Yang trying to get Neo to come to the good side. I thought this was a really neat idea and I enjoyed writing it, though I'll tell you right now I've changed Neo's character a bit for the sake of this particular fic/idea.**

 **A/N:** **The events of this fic would take place probably somewhere in volume 2, after episode 4.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

With Moonlight Between Us

She'd seen it in her eyes.

In those mis-matched, heterochromatic eyes.

Eyes that were chocolate brown and strawberry pink.

Eyes that were sweet in color, but not in content.

No. The content was never sweetness, nor was it malice or excitement.

It was fear.

And Yang had seen it.

She knew fear like a next-door neighbor who came to visit at all the worst of times.

She saw it often.

It saw _her_ more often.

It watched her with raptor-like vision, always waiting for the perfect time to swoop in and sink its talons deep into her heart.

It came whenever Ruby was pit against a Grimm in battle, whenever Weiss tossed in bed with silent screams, whenever Blake spoke of her old companions and how they were likely still keeping tabs on her.

Yes, Yang got visits quite often from Fear.

But whenever she engaged in combat with or around Neo, she got the inkling that this girl _lived_ with it.

Or rather, Fear lived with _her_.

It lurked around every corner, waited to pounce in every shadow, crept beneath the very floorboards she walked on. It teemed behind those eyes, festering like some polluted wound, constantly burning, forcing the curve of the smile onto her lips, forcing the blade in her hand.

It wasn't conviction that drove Neo, nor was it a sense of convoluted justice.

It was Fear.

Yang knew all too well.

She'd first been close enough to catch a glimpse of it on the train, when she'd stood alone with her, brown and pink blinking innocently up, lavender glaring angrily down.

At that time, the fury and need for revenge had fueled Yang, causing her to lash out and strike, though going into a blind rage rarely produced the intended results. Either she'd obliterate the obstacles entirely, or lose sight of her true goal, let the anger consume her until she wasn't thinking.

It had been the latter on the train, and she'd swung left and right in hopes of landing a blow, of wiping that annoying smirk off her smug little face.

She hadn't noticed right away that the smile was plastered on.

But in the whirl and twirl of their vicious, deadly dance of a fight, she'd taken a second to breathe once or twice, and that was when she'd seen it.

The smile would fade – just for a split second – so quickly, Yang had to wonder if its absence had merely been another illusion.

But she witnessed it enough times to convince herself it wasn't.

And more than once, she'd hesitated in the presence of that frown, brief as it had been, but frequent enough to convince Yang that it was accidental.

Somewhere along those lines she'd realized it was Fear that drove the girl.

Yang guessed that was why she probably always kept her mouth shut, because if she let out her voice, who knew what she might let out with it?

But no matter how skillfully she tried to conceal it, mask it with her sensory illusions and tricks of the eyes, she couldn't trick every sense at once. If she wasn't saying it, there would be short-lived times when she would _show_ it.

And Yang noticed.

She didn't know how Neo's story had begun, but she knew where it was now.

And she didn't want to know how it would end.

She didn't want to know what would happen to her if she displeased whomever she was working with, whomever was powerful, influential, and frightening enough to get Roman Torchwick under their wing. One misstep from Neo, and Yang knew it wouldn't be a happy ending for her.

But Yang knew she wanted to try and change that ending.

Maybe Ruby's heroic mindset had rubbed off on her over the years, but Yang felt she wanted to help as many people as she could. Even if it was someone who had once tried to kill her and her teammates.

The thought was set at the back of her mind, not up front enough to be called upon every day, but also not far back enough to lose.

The carefree days of classes and training lessons went by. Yang spent each day learning new things, teasing her friends, having fun. And she spent every night getting goodnight hugs and kisses from her teammates, the curling up warmly into bed.

And she couldn't help but wonder how different Neo's days might've been from hers.

She probably slept in some cold bunker in an uninsulated shed somewhere, like some prisoner.

It was thoughts like those that motivated Yang to get her away from her captors before her fate could be sealed.

If Yang had learned anything from all the stories she'd heard and told herself, it was that it was never too late for a person to change.

Even the most saintly of innocents could snap and fly into a bloody rage if pushed the wrong way. And even the most disgusting of criminals could clasp their hands in prayer and ask for forgiveness if prompted correctly.

She hoped that might be the case with the girl whose eyes were always so full of fear.

Yang was determined to try.

* * *

Weeks passed until her team set out on their next unsupervised mission into downtown Vale.

They'd only intended to survey the area, perhaps find out a bit of information if they could, but they didn't want to get into any fights if they could avoid it.

But of course, things rarely ever went as planned.

Although, part of Yang had to admit she was a bit relieved to see Roman Torchwick and his partner that evening.

It would've been easy to have fended them off with her three other teammates beside her, but the addition of the dozen or so White Fang members complicated things a bit.

It wasn't long before the back alleyways were swarming with armed persons, blasting barrels and piles of bricks and whatever else they could aim at. Shouts and gunfire shattered the air, but it would be a while yet before anyone in town would get wind of this and send for the police.

Yang knew she had a bit of time.

As Ruby and Weiss grappled with the masked Faunus, Blake struggled to reach Roman himself.

Yang killed two birds with one stone in charging for Neo – one, so she could unguard Roman a bit for Blake to get at him, and two, so she could have the girl to herself.

As soon as Yang neared her, shouting out a battle cry, Neo whipped around to face her. The smirk was ready on her lips, teeth bared like a badger eager to fight.

But when she saw who her opponent was, that smile wavered – just barely, just for a split second.

Neo knew that Yang was onto her, and despite the alley's darkness, she could see that now.

Yang wasn't going to let her run away. Not yet.

She threw a punch, knowing she'd miss, but it was a move that would dictate that she'd chosen Neo as her opponent for this skirmish.

The girl had no other choice but to oblige, opening the lacy umbrella at her side and blocking the blazing hits Yang threw at her.

Blake had already taken Roman's attention, which allowed Yang to enact her plan. She kept her eyes trained on Neo's, narrowing into those discolored pools that switched back and forth every few seconds.

But as she engaged further, Yang realized Neo never made direct eye contact with her if she could avoid it. She knew that Yang had knowledge of the situation, and Neo was guilty to admit that fact.

Which only proved to Yang that she was right about it all.

She kept throwing her punches, occasionally tossing in a kick or two if she could manage it. She'd fought her before, so she had a bit of a better understanding of what would work and what wouldn't.

The same was true for Neo, who blocked each hit with a controlled smoothness that seemed almost forced. The canopy of the umbrella always seemed to shield her expression at the most convenient of times, so much so that Yang had to suspect it was intentional.

She fired a few rounds from her gauntlets here and there, staging the fight to make it seem more genuine than she truly wanted it to be. She put on the act for her teammates, as not to arouse suspicion.

After a minute or two of combat, she backed herself away gradually, not to retreat but to lure.

One step forward, two steps back.

But all the while, she continued to fight as not to draw unwanted attention their way. She coaxed Neo back, away from the rest of the fighting.

The girl didn't even realize how far they'd come until there was no one else in sight but the blonde girl, who seemed to know more than she should.

Yang was the one who smirked now, exactly when Neo lost hers.

The smaller girl instantly stopped advancing, feeling as though she were being led into a trap of sorts.

But before she could turn tail and run back towards Roman, Yang called out to her.

"Wait!"

That had clearly been the last thing Neo had been expecting to happen, because in her confusion, she actually did as Yang had asked.

The umbrella was still spread out before her chest to act as a shield, as though she expected some kind of ambush or trickery. One of the curves of the canopy conveniently blocked her mouth from view, but Yang could still read her eyes.

Inhaling deeply, Yang did one of the stupidest things she'd ever done in her life thus far.

She lowered her weapons right in the middle of a fight, a fight against an opponent who had proven herself time and again to be nothing short of ruthless, and even violent.

And unlike Neo, Yang didn't have a shield.

She was defenseless now, a sitting duck.

But it was necessary if she was going to accomplish what she'd set out to do.

She kept her eyes fixated on Neo's, both to assess whether or not the girl intended to take advantage of her stance now and attack her, and to read her emotions.

The bafflement was most prominent at first, and then it was the suspicion, all things Yang had expected to see.

But ultimately, Neo's eyes came to settle on the most familiar emotion – fear.

Yang felt the girl had experienced enough of that already, so she did her best to dissuade it. She spoke with her tone low, almost gentle, less like she was speaking to a rapid badger and more like she was trying to coax a startled fox.

"Hey... uh... I know it's... kinda awkward, but... could you just... just for a second-"

Yang's gaze flashed desperately down at the umbrella, with the sharp tip pointed at the center of her chest, and then back up again.

"I know it's hardly a good time. But it's the only chance I've got for this. I _need_ to say something to you, and we both know you need to hear it, even if you don't necessarily _want_ to."

She waited, knowing there was little time to waste before someone else got worried – or worse, wise.

The last thing either of them needed was for someone to come stumbling over to find them chatting casually. It would mean a world of trouble for the both of them, but likely with one person risking more severe punishment than the other.

But Yang needed to _try_.

She waited for her to react, the umbrella still in its expanded form with the tip aimed at her heart. Neo could have driven her through seconds ago and put a stop to all of this.

But she hadn't.

And she _still_ wasn't.

She was hesitating, which meant she was truly considering Yang's words.

Yang noticed Neo's eyes were searching hers, and the suspicion had taken over again.

And why shouldn't it? They both knew Neo had tried to kill her back on the train. So why should Yang be wanting to talk things out now?

She knew it was far-fetched, but she needed to at least give this non-violent technique a shot.

Neo blinked, and her eyes switched colors again. She took a step forward, more cautious than anything, as if to provoke Yang and see if she'd react.

But Yang remained still, and even spread her arms a little, indicating she wouldn't move unless she truly had no other choice available.

Then, as though all of this hadn't been a stupid enough act to pull, Yang did something even more foolish.

She closed her eyes.

It was the ultimate display of defenselessness, but more than that, it was a display of trust.

Neo could slash her throat if she really wanted to.

But the fact that she didn't proved to the both of them that she didn't _really_ want to.

Yang kept her eyes closed for nearly ten full seconds, knowing that each and every beat of her heart could be the last. It was the ultimate gamble, and the highest act of stupidity.

But when she finally reopened them, she found Neo hadn't moved so much as an inch.

The umbrella was still expanded, but the tip no longer pointed at Yang's chest. Instead, it had been lowered to the ground in disbelief, and the same emotion had painted Neo's expression.

She didn't need to say anything for Yang to be able to know exactly what she was thinking. It was all in her eyes – the sheer perplexity, the borderline outrage.

 _What the hell is this? What are you trying to do?_

Yang could understand what Neo was feeling; Yang was asking herself the same questions internally. The least she could do was clear things up as best she could.

"I just... I wanted to-"

But the pause of their antebellum was soon interrupted by more shouting, more gunfire, closer than before. A familiar man's voice called out suddenly.

"Neo! Time to hit the road!"

At Roman's call, the girl closed her umbrella and turned her back, bracing herself to tear off.

But Yang had come this far already. She wasn't going to simply let it all end here.

"Wait!"

And again, Neo surprised them both by doing just that. She was crouched and about to run, but she stayed – just for a second, just for Yang. She peered back over her shoulder, this time with her emotions nearly unreadable.

Yang raked her mind for information, uttering to her in a hushed voice.

"That old warehouse where the White Fang used to rally. I'll be there tonight at midnight. Alone."

She didn't stutter, blink, or waver as proof of her honesty. She didn't intend to tell anyone where she was going or bring anyone along with her.

Only Neo knew.

Another idiotic act of trusting one's enemy with her life, but she was desperate.

Desperate for Neo's sake.

The other girl looked Yang up and down, from head to toe, trying to detect any ounce of deceit in her. Yang knew she wouldn't find any.

Neo's gaze returned to hers, and another blink had her eyes changing color once more. Her lips parted, and it was for more than just an intake of breath. She'd wanted to say something-

But another call of her name from Roman destroyed that possibility.

Without a word or another glance, Neo vanished, causing Yang to wonder if she'd ever truly been there at all.

* * *

Once they'd arrived back at Beacon, Yang was relieved to find that her teammates were too exhausted from the fight to do anything other than shower and collapse into bed.

Yang made sure to let them all go first, and by the time it was her turn in the bathroom, Ruby and Weiss had already fallen fast asleep.

Of course, the biggest challenge wouldn't be to sneak out past campus security cameras and catch a ship to Vale and back before she could be missed. Rather, the most difficult part would be slipping out without letting Blake's keen ears notice.

Yang deliberately took a long time in the shower, going over the directions to the warehouse Blake had given her a few weeks prior, just in case she'd ever need to know the address.

Twenty minutes later, Yang dressed herself into her pajamas as not to raise suspicion and re-entered the dorm room.

Blake had just put her book down and curled herself up for bed. Yang acted as she always did and wished her goodnight before climbing up to her bunk to lay down. Blake flicked the lamp off, and from there it was a waiting game.

Unlike the rest of her team, Yang wasn't tired at all, not with what she had in mind.

It wasn't long before Blake's breathing slowed and joined pace with Ruby's and Weiss'.

Yang waited a bit longer just to be safe, then stole a glance at the clock.

One hour.

With painstaking slowness, she dropped back down from her bed and gathered up her clothes again. They'd yet to be washed since earlier, but she couldn't risk rummaging around in her drawers for something clean to wear.

She dressed herself, grabbed her scroll, and wrote a quick note on a piece of paper to leave on her bed. It told a lie that would hopefully satisfy any of her teammates if they were to waken and find her missing, saying she'd merely gone out for a midnight walk.

With everything in order, Yang left the room.

Not until she'd made her way off campus and gotten on board the late night Air Ship did she really begin to think all this over.

She'd be going to this place alone as she'd said, but that didn't necessarily mean Neo would do the same.

Of course, there was no guarantee that she'd even show up at all. What reason did she have to trust Yang beyond the fact that Yang had trusted her? She very well could use this covert rendezvous against Yang and plan an ambush to kill her.

These were the thoughts that kept Yang's steps quiet and her ears alert after she exited the ship. The city was so much more still at night, with fewer cars rolling by, fewer people speaking, fewer lights in shop windows.

It almost seemed as though she were the only soul stirring here tonight.

She set a brisk pace for the abandoned warehouse, listening well for sounds of anything unusual. But she heard nothing at all other than the clicking of her own shoes over the concert.

Keeping herself vigilant, she advanced until the warehouse was in sight. There, she paused.

The only known entranceway had long since been boarded up and chained with locks to prevent further acts of vandalism. Blake had said the White Fang had infiltrated via somewhat underground passageways, and recent news reports told Yang that those, too, had all been closed off and sealed.

The only way in now was a glaring hole in the side of the building, which had been blown out by Roman Torchwick himself when using the military robot to pursue Blake and Sun.

It had been weeks since then, and there had been police officers stationed around this area for a while afterward until they were certain the White Fang wouldn't return.

Now, the place stood in shambles, and cautionary tape signified it was soon to be demolished.

Yang checked the perimeter as best she could before discerning there was no one else around outside. Of course, inside might've been a totally different story.

And she couldn't explain it, but she had the feeling that there wouldn't be an ambush waiting for her.

So she slipped beneath the coils of tape and climbed over piles of debris and smashed grey bricks. She made quick work of maneuvering through the dilapidated hole in the wall, but paused again before entering fully.

It was all darkness inside, save from a single shaft of moonlight that penetrated through another hole in the rafters.

Naturally, Yang headed for the light source, skirting around old boxes and empty barrels. She shuddered to think that this was the place where the criminals and terrorists had gathered just a few weeks ago, the very same people she'd heard countless horror stories about from Blake.

But if anyone else had been here now, Yang knew she would've been gunned down already.

So she proceeded with a bit more confidence – after all, she'd been the one to set this meeting up.

She came to a halt right beside the silver moonlight, thinking it better to keep out of the light entirely. She checked her scroll: 11:56PM.

Only now that she was actually here and had stopped moving did her heart begin to pound.

She must've been insane. She couldn't believe she was doing this. If she was wrong about Neo, she'd die here tonight and never see her friends or sister again.

She wished she'd kissed Ruby before she'd left tonight...

But as the minutes went on, so did the silence.

And eventually, midnight came and went.

Yang was both relieved and disappointed.

But on a hunch, she waited a bit longer, leaning back against a old dusty crate.

And as she'd done earlier today with the tip of Neo's weapon pointed at her chest, she closed her eyes.

There was a rustle, like a dance of leaves over the wind.

When she next lifted her eyelids, she wasn't alone anymore.

Neo stood before her on the other side of the moonlight looking angry, appalled, disbelieving, and uncertain all at the same time.

Something told Yang the girl couldn't believe _either_ of them had actually been stupid enough to show up here.

The umbrella was in her hand, collapsed for the moment, but her fingers were positioned to snap it up and through the underside of Yang's chin if she put so much as an eyelash out of place. Brown and pink glared up at her almost vehemently, but Yang didn't miss the more nervous glance Neo put behind herself. She must have snuck out as well, and things wouldn't be pretty if she was found out.

Yang might've been risking a week-long detention from Beacon and an hour-long lecture from Weiss if she were caught. But she knew the stakes for Neo's potential discovery were much higher.

The urgency in the girl's eyes had Yang shaking off the shock and getting her lips moving.

"Wow... I can't believe you really came."

She kept her voice low, but Neo reacted as though Yang had just shouted at the top of her lungs. She flinched and recoiled a step, almost as though she were about to vanish all over again. Her eyes silently shouted of anger derived from that familiar fear again.

 _Just spit it out! I don't have all night! I shouldn't even be here, and neither should you!_

Yang understood every word she never said. She kept her eyes locked on the switching pools of color, but stayed put.

"That's exactly what I'm here about," she murmured. "I knew you didn't want it to be this way."

Again, Neo's confusion was clear.

 _What are you talking about?_

Yang sighed.

"You know what I mean. I can see it in your eyes. That you... don't wanna be with them. With Torchwick and whoever else you're working for."

Neo remained silent, but Yang could just about read her thoughts in this quiet.

 _I don't have a choice._

The blonde girl nodded.

"I know you don't want to fight us. But you have to."

Neo's lip curled up into a snarl, and it was her turn to be defensive.

 _What's it to_ you _? Why should you care? Mind your own business!_

Yang smiled sadly.

"You don't mean that. Or else you wouldn't have come to meet me here tonight."

Neo let out a small growl, but had no comeback.

Yang was careful with her next choice of words.

"Neo..."

The name was foreign on her tongue, but it sounded nice.

The girl actually jolted at the sound of it, and a look of discomfort seeped into her eyes. But nonetheless, she met Yang's gaze.

"Neo," she said again. "I know I don't know anything... about you... or about whoever you're working with, or working _for_... But I know you _have_ to be there, and I know that you don't _want_ to be doing these things. And that's all I need to know."

Neo snorted curtly.

 _How is it your concern?_

Yang swallowed to ensure her voice would be clear when she made her next outlandish request.

"Neo... you should... come with me. With _us_. To Beacon."

She'd half expected her to laugh or to run away, or even to lash out at her.

But to Yang's surprise, Neo did none of those things.

Instead, she did nothing.

She stayed put and listened.

Yang went on.

"I know it'll be difficult at first... but you could change sides. Help us _stop_ Torchwick and the others. You could train with us, make friends-"

A sudden whirl of motion had her cutting off with a gasp.

Neo had kicked out her leg and toppled a nearby barrel, which crashed and splintered with a furious sound. The message was clear:

 _Shut up!_

She was shaking her head vigorously, as though something invisible were clawing at her head and she was trying to dislodge it.

Yang caught a glimpse of her eyes.

Neo was torn.

This was what she'd always wanted.

An offer for help.

A chance to start over and take the path she'd always _wanted_ to take – the path she'd been yanked off of by the hair before she could ever hope to cut it off.

She _wanted_ to take Yang's offer.

But she _couldn't_.

 _It's just not possible..._ her eyes said. _Not now. Not after everything I've done..._

But Yang was determined.

"It's never too late. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get out. So just... just do it! Come with me. _Please_."

Yang stepped forward, into the shaft of silver light. She extended her arm and reached out her hand.

Neo hissed like a cornered animal, but her eyes were trained on that hand.

She wanted to take it.

She _wanted-_

"Come back with me," Yang whispered. "I'll... I'll help you. _I promise_."

She really meant it, too. Yang could feel the warm tears rising up behind her eyes, proof of her honesty.

Neo must have seen that, or at least heard it in her voice.

Because she moved her own hand out towards Yang's.

Yang didn't move, didn't falter.

Those tiny gloved fingertips hovered just an inch away from her own, one hand in light, the other in darkness. Yang coaxed her forward, smiling as the first tear fell.

"Please, Neo. Please... It's okay... Promise..."

The girl looked distraught, every emotion she was feeling in her heart conflicting with everything in her mind. Even her body was doing its best to reject the offer it had longed for so many years to receive.

Yang tensed as Neo's fingers breached the moonlight at last.

Again, Yang closed her eyes.

There was a slight contact, almost unnoticeable.

It created an iota of a spark, just enough to prove to Yang that Neo had truly touched her at all.

But those fingers never slipped into hers as she'd hoped they might.

Instead, with an unexpected tenderness, Neo curled Yang's fingers up into a loose fist, away from herself, so she couldn't accept that hand.

And a small, helpless sound reached Yang's ears.

"No one can help me now."

There was another whirl of the wind.

And when Yang next opened her eyes, she was alone again.

She sobbed softly, casting her eyes down to the ground.

And there, on the concrete in the center of the moonlight, was the stain of a teardrop that was not her own.

* * *

 **A/N: I think it was a fun challenge to write Neo as if she were an innocent character being kept almost prisoner by Roman and Cinder. I know that's likely not the case in canon, but it was an interesting concept to explore in writing.**

 **And to let her first ever known/spoken words be said to/for Yang... I really liked putting that tidbit in. I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Second Chances

**Well, fans of this fic are in luck, because moonwatcher13 commissioned a second chapter! They wanted to see things from Neo's point of view this time, picking up directly from where the first chapter left off. And I'm glad they asked for more of this fic, because it was very fun to write!**

 **A/N: Again, please remember that Neo's character has been changed for the sake of this fic. She's not the same sadistic character the canon makes her out to be, but rather a person who was unwillingly brought to the bad side of things. I'm surprised to find out it's a rather popular theory people consider about her, so I'm glad you can enjoy that being explored in this fic!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 2. Second Chances

It was strange.

Ironic, even.

Darkness had always been her cover, the shield that concealed her presence when her illusions couldn't.

It's what they'd taught her in all the years she'd been with them, committing their crimes for them and getting her own hands dirty so they wouldn't have to.

Shadows were her shield when nothing else could be.

Because there were always shadows. Especially when the light shown brightest.

So why was it that now, in the dead of night, where nearly every inch of the planet was shrouded in darkness, there was nowhere for her to hide?

All she could do was disappear on the wind, take herself out of the blonde huntress' sight.

And now what? Run back to that damned hideout like some kind of rat? Slink back into that sorrowful, crusty bunk they told her to call a bed? Curl up, pretend none of this had ever happened, and then be roused in four hours' time to begin the next robbery?

She didn't want to go back. After all she'd just done, after all she'd just heard in that girl's voice, after all she'd seen in her eyes...

How was she supposed to go back now? To _either_ side?

Her shoes tapped in forlorn echoes over the rooftops of buildings she'd helped rob half a dozen times.

Not a soul was out and about at this hour, not even a stray mutt.

She'd never considered herself as someone who had a soul. A flea had more of a soul than Neo knew she ever could.

In the past, many, many years ago, she'd had a chance at one.

But not after _they_ had found her, dragged her into their illegal business, conditioned her from her earliest years to do what the fairytales had always said not to do.

She knew which side she was on.

She knew it each and every day.

And she despised herself for it.

As she continued to run, she opened her parasol, using it to catch the wind, allowing it to carry her over the space between the buildings until she could land on the next rooftop and begin running all over again.

Her shoes weren't taking her back to the hideout, and her mind didn't force them to change course.

She didn't want to go back. Even at the risk of her absence being discovered, she didn't want to go back there. Not ever.

But she knew.

She knew that even if she were able to escape to the other side of Remnant in a single night, it still wouldn't be enough. They'd find her, capture her, drag her back by the hair.

And once they had her back and began inflicting their punishments, she'd beg for death.

She'd seen it happen with her own two eyes. None of the things she'd witnessed back in that hideout had ever been illusions.

There had been others before her. Many others.

Ones who had tried to escape.

Ones who had tried to rebel.

Ones who had been too weak.

They'd all met the same fate.

At first, Cinder would hire some of her own men to silently execute the problematic ones, sending them on missions they never had a chance to come back from.

But the lazy or rambunctious ones were always taken care of quickly and silently, their existences wiped off the face of the planet as though they'd never once been there in the first place.

It was the ones who tried to betray that suffered the worst of fates.

Cinder changed her tactics when dealing with those.

Neo had watched, as had all the others, gathered in the dank, dreadful basement of whatever building they were using at the time. Cinder would make them watch, to show them what would happen if any of the rest of them were to misbehave.

She had the most brutal ways of killing.

The people around Neo would always cheer, laugh, or if permitted, join in on the vicious attacks.

As for her, it was often all she could do to keep plastering on that smile, act like she was enjoy these sadistic rituals.

Because if she didn't, she'd be next.

And now, this was the closest she'd ever been to guaranteeing herself a spot in the center of that bloodthirsty mob.

She'd never snuck away before, never done anything to get herself into trouble or placed under suspicion. And now she'd risked everything she'd ever worked for to keep herself alive in that prison.

All for what? A huntress? A girl?

The dire weight of her mistakes only piled higher and higher as she continued to run, following the aimless wind without direction or conviction to arrive at any particular destination.

Fear was a cinderblock in each pocket, dragging her down into a cold, dark river. The more she struggled for the surface, the quicker she went down.

She'd been drowning for years.

That river was always around her.

It was always dark, dark enough that when she'd find herself alone, she'd create an illusion of light.

It was always cold, cold enough that she'd create an illusion of heat if she could.

And it was always lonely.

That was always one thing she could never trick herself into believing she had.

Companionship.

Someone who'd actually reach out to try and take her hand to pull her back up.

Someone who cared about _her_.

And tonight, she thought she'd actually seen a ray of sunlight.

And it _hadn't_ been an illusion.

The moonlight between them had been cool and calm.

But just on the other side – just mere inches beyond that – there had been a warmth like no other. It had been everything Neo had ever dreamt of.

And she'd tossed it all away in the blink of an eye.

She hadn't realized the water dripping down her cheeks until now, when her blurred vision almost caused her to miscalculate a jump. She skidded to a halt, bringing a hand to her mouth so she could bite it, stifle the sounds of her sorrow.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried before tonight. If anyone back at base ever found out she'd shed a tear for herself – no matter the reason - she'd be interrogated and ridiculed beyond recovery.

Crying had always been a sign of weakness, the _worst_ kind of weakness.

Emotional weakness, pain from the heart.

But it was the only thing that proved to Neo that she still had a fraction of a soul.

She stood there, hunched over the edge of the tall rooftop, her mind a blur of thoughts, her chest a blur of emotions. Things she'd locked away for years and forbidden herself to feel now all suddenly came rushing back to slam over her in waves.

Waves that picked her up, carried her towards the surface and the light - taunting - only to push her down deeper into the depths of the drowning river.

No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she never broke the surface. She never breathed.

But she'd broken too many rules tonight.

There were too many things she'd done that would get her killed in the worst of ways if she were to return to base and it had been discovered she was missing.

At the very least, she'd never spoken to any of them, for as long as she'd been there. As far as they all knew, she was incapable of speech.

Tonight, when she'd spoken to the huntress, it had been the first time she'd used her voice in over a decade.

She'd almost forgotten she _could_ use it.

She'd almost forgotten a lot of things.

Like even though she was constantly drowning that there _was_ a surface.

Even though there was darkness all around her that there _was_ still light.

And even though she'd been feeling numb with cold for quite some time now that there _was_ still warmth in the world.

She simply wasn't in the right place to experience them.

And she never _would_ experience them again if she didn't take action.

It was her life. No one else was going to make an effort to act for her.

She'd been offered the helping hand she'd always longed for. It had quite literally been presented to her on a silver platter, lined with moonlight.

And she'd... refused?

For what? Why?

Again, it was the same answer, the very same weights that were dragging her deeper down, even right this very second.

Fear.

She was always too scared to do anything other than what she was told.

But... she didn't want to be scared anymore.

She wanted to be brave.

And bravery would be to take that huntress' hand and allow herself to be pulled up.

Until now, she'd considered it as cowardice, more weakness to allow someone else to free her instead of being able to free herself.

But wasn't it all the more cowardly to keep telling herself she could help herself when she clearly couldn't? Wasn't it more cowardly to be unable to admit that she _needed_ help?

Tonight's incident caused Neo to open her eyes, without the mask of illusions to cloud her vision.

She knew now. She knew what she had to do.

Inhaling a deep breath, she let the crisp night air fill her lungs.

It had seemed like such a long time since she'd breathed easily.

But now, it came naturally, which was such a foreign feeling, it almost made her hesitant to try again.

She wiped her arm over her eyes, not because she was ashamed of her tears any longer, but merely because she needed to see with unobstructed vision for what she was about to do.

She opened her parasol and lifted it up to the breeze, then kicked off as quickly as she could. She doubled back the way she'd come, bound not for the current hideout, but for the old warehouse.

Because there was something there that she wanted. _Needed_.

She couldn't ever remember needing anything so badly before.

She needed this more than air, more than bravery.

So she went as quickly as her effects could take her, cutting through the winds that tried to work against her, and using the other currents in favor for her speed.

She veered around the brick structures and corners of the buildings she'd just crossed coming from the opposite direction, her target destination set in her mind.

She'd mapped out this city in her mind ages ago, knew every back alleyway and hidden doorway that the rest of the innocents never could've dreamed existed. She used every shortcut, every narrow passageway, every convoluted forbidden path she knew of just to get back to that warehouse as quickly as physically possible.

Within minutes it was in sight. It was barely still standing after the previous incident at the White Fang rally that had left it in shambles and ready to be demolished.

And yet, despite the precariously dangling bricks off the corners of the gaping hole in the wall, this place now felt like the only safe haven she'd ever known.

How long had it been since she'd left? Since that huntress had arrived here and made Neo an offer she'd been scared enough to refuse?

Perhaps she'd lingered. Perhaps she was still here somewhere.

Neo slipped inside with a flash of faint color, more silent than a bat and just as unnoticeable, if not more so.

It was mostly unchanged since she'd last been here, fewer than ten minutes ago. The same barrels and boxes were still stacked up, looming, silent shadows that had overlooked what had transpired between Neo and the blonde huntress girl just moments earlier.

But there were three things different about this place that she immediately noticed.

The first was the barrel she herself had knocked over in her moment of insecurity, in an effort to chase the other girl off, to make her run away so she wouldn't involve herself with Neo further.

The second was that the shaft of moonlight that had been shining through the rafters not terribly long ago was now absent. It had shifted and moved on, shrouding the warehouse in complete darkness once more.

And the third was perhaps the most devastating.

Neo was alone.

Beacon's huntress – the girl who had been insane enough to stop Neo during a fight, converse with her in secret, arrange a midnight rendezvous, and sneak out to meet her – had gone.

The person Neo had risked her own safety and wellbeing for.

The only person she'd shared her voice with in over a decade.

The only person who had ever offered their hand to her.

She was gone.

 _No..._

Neo scoured the building, darting around the perimeter, hopelessly searching for something she knew was no longer there. The stinging heat rose up behind her eyes again, and she fought vehemently against it.

"No..."

Her own voice sounded to strange to her. It was so raspy and devoid of emotion after so many years of not being used.

But she'd used it for _her_ , for the blonde huntress they'd called Yang.

Hoping the sound of it may draw her back, she used it again.

"No... please wait..."

Neo rushed back to the collapsed wall and searched the outside of the warehouse, but the results were fruitless. The property was vacant.

"No..." she croaked. "Come back..."

She cast her gaze down the sidewalks visible from her vantage point, hurrying to the highest roof she could locate.

She looked everywhere, as far as her eyes could go and then some.

But not a soul stirred the darkness down below.

Neo hissed and wiped her eyes again.

She refused to believe it. That she'd let her one and _only_ chance slip through her fingers.

Her fingers...

She lifted her hand – the one she'd touched Yang's with.

She'd only maintained contact with her for a few seconds. Just a few seconds.

It hadn't been anything like the other times they'd touched – roughly, violently, in combat.

The touch they'd shared tonight, beneath the silver moonlight...

It had been gentle.

Hesitant.

 _Human_.

She'd been so warm...

Neo felt she could still recognize the heat of the huntress' fingers.

She'd pushed them away from herself. She should have accepted that hand.

But it was too late now.

It always seemed like it was too late.

Her only chance at escape, at starting over with the new beginning she'd always imagined, was gone. Probably on some Air Ship back to Beacon, already hundreds of miles away.

Neo knew she'd never get that chance again.

But as she stood atop the cold roof with the nightly breeze pushing through her hair, she realized something.

Perhaps she hadn't been rescued tonight.

Perhaps she hadn't taken the huntress' hand.

But she certainly hadn't left empty-handed.

There was nothing physical, aside from perhaps some residual feeling of heat in her fingertips.

But there was something else. Something intangible.

And that was even more valuable than anything she'd ever stolen.

Yang had given her something after all. Something Neo had never before received in all her life.

A chance.

She'd given her a chance.

She'd believed that there was something within Neo's soul that was still worthy of being saved.

To think that a person could discover something – _anything_ – that could be considered salvageable within the turmoil that was Neo's life was a benison in and of itself.

That alone seemed to take the weight from one of her pockets and toss it away.

It brought Neo a little closer to the surface, closer than she'd ever been before. It was ever so slight, but it was easier to breathe again.

Neo wanted to stay there, in the shallower waters, far away from the unfathomable depths.

And perhaps one day she'd break the surface for good.

But for now, she'd been given a push. Or rather, she'd been pulled a little higher up, from someone who lived their life in the warm sunlight.

Such a person had bothered to glance down into the water and reach in for her.

Neo _hadn't_ refused her hand. Not entirely.

She'd touched her, felt her fingers, felt her warmth.

She hadn't abstained.

She'd _touched_ that hand.

There was something to be said for the fact that she'd made any contact at all.

There had been a time when she'd never believed she could, and that time had extended until tonight.

But the thought had been shattered beneath the stream of moonlight.

She'd made contact with someone from the other side of the water, the other side of the darkness.

There was still hope for her. If there was someone like Yang who hadn't given up on her, then she'd taught Neo not to give up on herself.

Yang had helped, but Neo would have to save herself from here.

She stood there, still breathing in the nighttime air, savoring the feeling of having her lungs filled. The tears hadn't stopped, but they were quiet and small enough to go unnoticed.

She made sure to breathe in a few more times before turning her back.

Neo slipped back inside the building, heels clicking on the cement ground as she retreated to the spot where the moonlight had once been. She stepped into that space, her shoes covering the faded tear stains that had been left behind here. She lifted her face to the ceiling, to the hole where the light had once poured through.

And she did what Yang had done.

She closed her eyes.

And she truly believed she could feel the sun.

A subtle warmth resonated within her hand, and it was almost as though Yang were beside her once more.

Neo could see her, taking her hand, leading her to Beacon, taking classes with her, laughing in the cafeteria, smiling true smiles...

She opened her eyes.

Yang wasn't there, but Neo felt that was okay.

Even if she could never have that scenario become reality, she felt privileged to have been able to dream of it at all.

But maybe – just maybe – there was still hope.

The ebb and flow of the waters were unpredictable, and with one weight removed, Neo knew she could swim now.

Now that she knew there was someone who would still give her a second chance, she decided to believe in herself as well.

She trained her eyes on the starlit sky, where the broken moon hung just out of sight, though she knew it was still there.

She knew the blonde huntress couldn't hear her, but she spoke for her and only her.

"Thank you..."

Maybe not tonight.

Maybe not tomorrow.

But one day, Neo would tell her in person.

* * *

 **A/N: When I started writing this chapter, I had a vague idea of where I wanted it to go, but as it went on, it changed a bit. I'm glad it did though, because it was originally just going to be sad and angsty, but I rather like the prospect of a good or somewhat nice ending for Neo in this.**

 **Now I think this story is finished, because I really wouldn't know where to go from here. Thanks for reading!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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